INTERIM Tipperary manager has hailed the influence of her predecessor Bill Mullaney and the reaction of the players to a difficult few weeks.

The Premiers had their initial Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie Group 2 tie with Waterford abandoned a fortnight ago after a serious injury to Nicole Walsh and then it was announced after their loss to Cork last week that Mullaney was standing down due to health reasons.

The rest of the management team have stepped up, with Niamh Lillis inheriting the title of interim manager, while Walsh was back on the line cheering on her teammates at Nowlan Park on Saturday. Lillis and co got the perfect response to the trying period as their crew prevailed by 4-11 to 2-14.

They led by a point at the interval, Waterford responding well with goals from a penalty by Beth Carton and another by Annie Fitzgerald after Ereena Fryday and Megan Ryan had struck the net at the other end early on. Fryday and Grace O’Toole raised two more green flags early in the second half and though Carton landed six second-half points, Cáit Devane registered a pair of vital scores to cement the win for Tipp.

“I have to give credit to the girls” said Lillis. “They were absolutely fantastic. Waterford came back at us like all good teams do and we dug deep and found absolute character. Absolutely thrilled for the girls. Tough couple of weeks with Nicole and Bill as well. They deserve this.

“Bill has built a lot of character into these girls as well you know and they’ve been fantastic today and I can’t credit them enough. Pity there wasn’t more Tipperary people here to see them today because they absolutely played out of their skin and we couldn’t ask for anymore.”

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